The Torvern Range
The Torvern Range is the northern most mountain chain on Ediacara, and is a natural border between the harsh lands of Sibrun, and the great plains and forests of Zetrea and Ulmera. Dense pine forests race up the slopes of the Torverns before they thin out, unable to keep pace with great heights of the mountains. Mighty glaciers and ice fields flow down from the peaks, carving deep valleys and shaping the mountains to their whim. The rivers born from the icefields feed the range’s countless emerald lakes and nurture the dense pine forests that blanket the base of the mountains.
Countless tiny hamlets and villages dot the range. These small bastions of civilization providing warmth and protection from the mountain’s quickly changing weather, and from the beasts who prowl the icy slopes.
Settlements, Towns, and Cities
Chidwell
Population : ~5,000
Sitting along the banks of the Chid River, and about halfway along the main road leading through the Torverns is the town of Chidwell. The ore mined out of the mountains, and the lumber harvested from the forests all make their way here to be loaded up onto barges and sent down the Chid towards Ulmera and Zetrea. The town has a modest income, and its residents have a decent standard of living, especially for living so deep in the harsh Torverns.
Menderton, The City of Gears
Population : ~300,000
Located within the hollowed interior of Mount Mend is the gnomish temple-city of Menderton, the City of Gears and earthly seat of Mendarieon, the Configuration. It should come as no surprise that the many technological wonders found their origins here within the city’s many the universities, collages, and technical institutions. These hallowed halls of education are the most prestigious in all Ediacara, if not the world, and are open to anyone who can make the cut.
The city is also home to the Ediacaran Central Train Station. Equal parts grand cathedral and train station, this building is one of the must-see sights of the city, and of Ediacara as a whole. Trains depart and arrive all day long, bringing with them goods and people from all over the continent to this bastion of learning.
Menderton does not pay homage to any of the nations and empires across Ediacara, having maintained their neutrality for as long as anyone can remember, be that via oral traditions or ancient texts.
Life out in the Mountains
Aside from the large town of Chidwell and the city of Menderton, countless small villages, homesteads, farms and ranches are scattered about the mountain range. The farms and orchards blanket the valley floors between the peaks of the Torverns, growing vegetables and tending to vibrant orchards. Ranches also occupy the valleys, with many kinds of livestock thriving here: herds of horned dinosaurs and hadrosaurs being among the most popular and lucrative. The hot and wet summers and warm and dry winters are a boon for the farmers and the ranchers, giving the range’s countless valleys an ideal climate for the plant and animal life.
Dotting the mountains are also countless mines, both large corporate and buisness owned operations as well as small personal land claims. The mountains are ripe with mineral wealth, and it is just a matter of getting it out of the rock. Once the ore is free, it is then moved down the range’s many rivers to be refined in the factories of Ulmera and Zetrea. During the winter, many of the farmers will turn to their own mines, hoping to supplement their livelihoods until the warmth of summer returns.
Closer to the foothills of Ulmera, logging is the profitable industry. Most of the forestry operations are carried out by the large corporations out of Zaranta and the Free Cities, with little room for anyone else to get into the industry. Sabotage is common out in the woods, with both nations jockeying for the best trees and paying no mind to the poor souls that get hurt.
Landmarks & Points of Interest
Mount Mord
As the largest and tallest mountain in the range, Mount Mord towers over all others. It is a glacial horn at the centre of the range, with its clouded peak piercing unbelievable high into the sky.
The interior of the mountain has been carved into the city of Menderton, one of the great wonders of the world.
The Chid River
The mightiest river that races its way through the Torverns, the Chid has been used to transport ore and lumber south towards Ulmera and Zetrea for generations.
The river also has an abundance of fish, and is the habitat of the twenty foot long white sturgeon, a fish that many an angler dream of hooking.
The Rivulon Ice Field
Sitting high among the peaks of the Torverns are the enormous Rivulon Ice Fields, which act as the seed from which many of the mountain’s largest glaciers can trace their beginnings.
Legends say that the ice fields are littered with towers of stone that hut out from the ice at odd and terrifying angles. These stone protrusions are said to be home to everything from devils, to demons, to dragons, and whatever else haunts the dreams of mortals. There are still many mysteries hiding out in Rivulon’s endless expanse of white, but few are eager to venture out to fine them.
Ecology
This is a small sample of the more interesting creatures that roam the mountains
Roc
Rarely seen despite their massive size, the giant birds know as Rocs hunt across the mountains. They are usually only found far off the beaten path, gliding over hidden valleys and perching atop of unexplored peaks.
Few other creatures in the range are as large and intimidating as the Rocs, so it’s a good thing then that those who call the mountains home can live their whole lives and never encounter one up close.
Chimera
The three-headed and winged monsters known as chimera are found lurking all across the Torverns, preying on anything they can catch. It is not uncommon for the villages and towns dotted across the mountains to have chimera problems, but thankfully the beasts are loners by nature. Due to their solitary nature, it is possible for a well organized group of townsfolk to drive the beast back if the needs be.
Troll
Driven by their never ending hunger for flesh, the trolls of the Torverns are as dangerous as any large predator. While not a common sight for most travelers, it is still recommended to always bring some acid (or someone who can cast fire magic) while travelling the roads and trails that criss-cross the mountains.
Like trolls found anywhere else, they have a nasty habit of regrowing limbs and regenerating any wounds they sustain.
Peryton
Perytons are evil creatures that are a vile amalgamation of a bird and a stag. They flock together to hunt and torture people and animals alike, delighting in the pain and suffering they bring upon their prey.
While one peryton does not pose much of a threat, rarely are they found on their own. They flock together in family groups of up to fifteen individuals, so if you see one, it is more than likely that others are not far off.